Self adjusting shaper for shoes



March 31, 1959 J. DAVIS SELF ADJUSTING SHAPER FOR SHOES 2 SheetsSheet 1 Filed March 51, 1958 m m. M

March 31, 1959 J. DAVIS 2,879,527

SELF ADJUSTING SHAPER FOR SHOES Filed March 31, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR United States Patent 2,879,527 SELF ADJUSTING SHAPER FOR SHOES Jack Davis, Chevy Chase, Md. Application March 31, 1958, Serial No. 725,111 1 Claim. (Cl. 12-1158) The present invention relates to improvements in self adjusting shaper for shoes, one object of the invention being the provision of such an article of this type that will accommodate itself to various lasts of shoes, and is easily inserted and removed from the shoe, thus providing a practical and useful shoe shaper.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a shoe shaper, in which the forward shoe shaping member is made in two conforming members, resiliently separated, so that when the same is pushed lightly into the shoe, it snugly fits the interior of the forward part of the shoe so that the upper portion of the shoe is slightly stretched or shaped to resemble a new shoe, yet it does not exert too much pressure so as to cause any damage to the shoe.

Still another object of this invention is the provision of a shoe shaper in which the two shaping members thereof are spring expanded, but are held so that there is no twisting of the members, the inner faces being at all times in parallel, due to the particular manner of connecting the two members together.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of novel cast or molded bridges and rear walls in the toe member, whereby the desirable spring mounting, and pivoting of the spring expanded telescopic connecting member is able to carry at its free end a novel design of molded plastic heel member.

In order that the invention may be fully understood and its advantages appreciated attention is invited to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a top view of the shoe the present invention.

Figure 2 is a section through a shoe with the shaper in lace. p Figure 3 is a plan view of the inside face of one of the members, which is duplicated in the other member.

Figures 4, and 6 are cross sections on lines 44, 5-5 and 6-6 of Fig. 1, showing the connecting and guiding means of the shoe shaper.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the complete expandable member composed of the inner member 2, and the outer member 3, the outer contours of which are expertly shaped to fit various numbers of shoes of difierent widths'and lasts. The members 2 and 3 are preferably made of cast or molded plastic material, and are hollowed as at 4, but each is provided with two bridges 5 and 6, provided with bore 5' and a larger bore 6, respectively, and also with a rear wall 7, whose outer face is within a line drawn upon the outer faces of the bridges 5 and 6, said rear wall having upon its inner face an integral knob or lug 7", which in turn has a bore 7'. In the two enlarged bores 6' of the respective toe sections, when such sections are assembled, an expansion spring 8 is seated in such bores to, exert an outward tension to separate the sections, to be limited in such expanshaper embodying sion by beaded screws 9 and 10, whose inner ends are forepart sections apart, a small 2 anchored in the bores 5' and 6' of one section, while the headed ends are slidably mounted in the double diametered bores 5 and 6 of the other section and thus limit the expansion of the two sections.

The bores 5' and 7' of the outer member are closed, while those of the inner member are enlarged, so that the long screws 9 and 10, inserted from the large bore sides are anchored in the bores 5' and 7', respectively in such a manner to permit the inner member to be moved toward the other member with the respective heads 11 and 12 of the screws sliding in their respective bores.

By this construction, the, main portion or head of the present shaper, is made to have the desired cushioned action when inserted into the shoe.

In order that the shaper may be anchored and held within the shoe, during its use, a metal tube 13, provided with a bore 14 near one end, so that the rear screw 10, fits therein and acts as a pivot point to permit the tube the desired swinging movement. Cut through opposite walls of the tube, at the end remote from the bore 14, are two long slots 15, to receive a pin 16 carried in one end of the tube 16', which telescopically fits upon the tube 13, so that a spring 17, mounted in the tube 16', exerts pressure to hold the tubes apart. These tubes 13 and 16 form a telescopic connecting member between the expansible member 1 and a molded plastic material heel member 18, so that such heel member can easily be pushed within the shoe to engage the inner side of the heel within the shoe, and thus hold the tree at home in the shoe, yet is easily removed by gripping the finger engaging knob 19, and pulling outwardly, causing the flexing of the telescopic members and the release of the last members.

The heel engaging member provides easy means of inserting and removing the shoe shaper while the co-action of the several elements of this shoe shaper provide an easily insertable and removable shoe shaper, that automatically fits the interior of the forward portion of the shoe, and in such a manner, as not to give too great tension, but to gently iron out any creases that may have occurred to the shoe due to wearing same. By its use after each wearing, the life and looks of the shoe are increased.

In assembling this shoe shaper, the heel member and the telescopic tubes are first put together. Then the spring is placed in its socket in its carrying member of the toe last, while the screw is passed through the enlarged bore of the other last member and then the spring is fitted in its socket. The said screw is now passed through the opening in the end of the tube to fasten the same to the last members and is screwed home? The final screw is now projected through its enlarged bore and screwed to the same length as the first screw to permit parallel movements between the two last members, without any or as little as possible Wabble to the parts.

The heel member may be attached to the telescopic tubes by screw threads or by heat sealing, or adhesives, as may be selected. a

What is claimed is:

A self-adjustable shoe shaper, including hollow forepart sections of plastic material having a rear wall, a plastic heel member and a telescopic connecting member, said forepart sections each having aligned bridging members and an aligned lug, the latter being upon the inner side of the rear wall and shorter than the aligned bridging members, said bridging members positioned forwardly of the lugs, said bridging members located between the lugs and the other bridging members provided with a large bore, a spring element in said large bore to force said bore provided in the to maining bridge members and lugs, a screw element in said small bores to limit the expansion of the forepart sections, a recess in the forward edge of the rear wall to permit pivotal movement of the telescopic connecting member, said recess positioned substantially in the center of said rear wall and does not extend through the sides of said rear wall and permits said telescopic connecting members to be connected to the lugs by the screw element mounted in the lugs, spring means located in one of the said telescopic connecting members to force the telescopic connecting members longitudinally, a slot in one of the telescopic connecting members, a pin adapted to slide in the slot of the first telescopic member to limit longitudinal movement of said members, a. plastic heel member secured to the end of one of said telescopic connecting members, said heel member being approximately one quarter of an ovoid in shape and having an integral finger grip projecting inwardly adjacent the top of the heel member and at right angles to the inner face thereof.

4 References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Anderson Sept. 11, 1906 Legge Oct. 22, 1935 Loney June 11, 1940 Mutch Sept. 24, 1940 Mutch Sept. 9, 1941 De Witt Oct. 10, 1944 Harris et a1 June 7, 1949 Schoshusen June 14, 1949 Britten Aug. 8, 1950 McClenathan Apr. 17, 1951 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Nov. 1, 1909 Great Britain Dec. 3, 1934 France Nov. 4, 1930 France Mar. 3, 1941 

